the CLASSroom

Printer Tray Family Collage by Debbie Olson

Welcome! Today I have an altered item to share; I had ordered one of the black Printer Trays several weeks back but wasn't sure what I wanted to make with it. When the new Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 line came out, I knew that the vintage office look would be perfect with my printer tray.  

I started with the printer tray, an assortment of Circa 1934 papers and elements page, and some snapshots that I had taken one beautiful October day in our back yard. (The pictures were taken with a digital camera, converted to black and white in Adobe Photoshop Elements, and sized roughly for the openings before being printed with a Canon Selphy CP760 printer.)

Tip: Be sure to measure carefully before you cut your pictures; sometimes the shapes are 1/16" more or less than a standard size. Leaning on my woodworking husband's advice, "Measure twice, cut once." 

 

After you have the photographs in place, fill in with bits and pieces of patterned paper, buttons, string, tags--whatever your heart desires!

I considered leaving my photographs and papers just tacked with a bit of adhesive so that I could change the pictures seasonally, but I ended up using Ranger's Matte Accents to glue the pieces thoroughly. I'll just order another tray. . . or two. . . Christmas presents for grandparents, anyone?

Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!

Creating a Picture Pennant by Ellen Hutson

As I thought about what my kids might enjoy creating one of the first things that came to mind was figuring out a way to display pictures of their friends and family. When I first saw this fun canvas pennant from Maya Road I wanted to create with it.

The start to Trina's summer has been a rough one - how she came down with pneumonia we don't know, but needless to say it hasn't been easy. I created this special pennant especially for her in hopes of cheering her up just a little by sharing pictures of those who love her. There is room for so many more, but I ran out of time to add to it before completing this post. The tails have been left long so that we can continue to add to it :-D

The first technique I want to share is the photo transfer I used for the picture of her and Jasper. Jasper is the sweetest, most loving little guy and absolutely loves to wake Trina each morning with wet doggie kisses.

Print a color photo using an Inkjet printer. Cut to fit the pennant. Apply Matte Medium directly to the canvas triangle as shown.

Place your photo, color side down, and firmly press the image in to place. I like to use my Craft Scrapper and press it from the center out, removing any air bubbles that might be hiding.

Now is the hard part - allow this image to dry completely! I used my Heat It tool to speed up the process, but be careful not to remove your paper before the image is completely dry! 

Once completely dry use a mini mister to wet the copy paper. Then use your fingertips to remove the paper by rubbing it gently. The paper will pill as you rub off the excess. Keep working it gently until all paper pills are removed.

If you find that there are still little pieces of paper fuzz on your surface you can use a very thin layer of Matte Medium over the top. This does alter the appearance slightly, but it helps to remove any of the white fuzz that might be left on your project.

To add dimension to the two other pennants I used Tattered Angels Mist. I could have used my Copic Airbrush system as well, but the larger droplets lend a unique look to the canvas.

To dye the trim I placed it in a small ziplock bag and squirted a little Angel mist directly into the bag and then worked it into the trim. This was then taken out and allowed to dry.

Altering the E-line and Hero Arts flowers is also so very easy to do with the mist. As you can see the appearance of the flowers is altered by using a white base vs. an off-white base. Working on canvas I found that it was so much better to use off-white products to stay more in keeping with the warmth of the canvas. The blue flowers on the left showcase an off-white Hero Arts blossom on the left and a white E-line flower on the right.

I needed a larger size blossom in the purple tone and using the white e-line was just too vibrant. Copic markers to the rescue. First I colored the flower with my Y21 and Colorless blender and then spritzed it with Lilac mist. 

The mini chipboard sets from Maya Road are such a fabulous size. To alter these and turn them into the ever so popular glitter letters I first colored them with a Copic marker and then used my 2-way Glue pen to add adhesive. Holding the letters on the sides with my self-closing Tweezer Bees I was easily able to sprinkle the Ultrafine glitter over each letter, shaking off the excess.

To turn the pin into a dangling charm use a pair of jewelry pliers to bend the wire and then clip off the excess after you have insert the pin through the canvas.

I love this picture of my girls - they are so very sweet!

I was pleased with the result of the transfer. This technique could be fabulous on t-shirts, bags and more. Maddi suddenly took a huge interest in what I was doing and I think her mind is working on her "special" t-shirt ideas for the coming year.

And of course Trina's best friend - these two are so cute, and mischievous in a good way :-D 

If your teens and tweens are looking for crafty projects have them try making a photo pennant!
 
paper: Jenni Bowlin Calendar Cards, Maya Road Kraft Mini Tickets

ink: Tattered Angels Mist - Electric Blue, Sweet Clover, Timeless Lilac

accessories: Canvas Triangle Album, Noah Alphabet Mini Chipboard Set, Love Mini Chipboard Set, Green Leaf Trinket Pin, Olivia Buttons, Cream Art Flowers,  Bermuda Breeze E-line Flowers, Grasshopper Microfine Glitter, Melissa Francis Trim
  

Stamping Backgrounds & Creating Rub-on Transfers by Julia Stainton

I love creating and creating your own papers and rub-ons is a really fun thing to do. The unique possibilities are endless. I hope you'll have fun learning with me today and be inspired to create a few things of your own.

When starting this project, I first started with creating my own background papers with some Neenah Classic Solar White cardstock, a Backgrounder and a couple Scrapblocks and some ink. Custom patterned papers are so easy to create and I love being able to create any color I wish. In fact, I think that these large stamps are my absolute favorites to create with.

One thing you have to deal with when using a large stamp is inking it well. You want to achieve a nice even image. I never use a block with these stamps but just lay them face up on the work surface.

 

I have a really juicy new Distress ink pad and a fairly new stamp. You can see how the ink has beaded up on it. This does not leave the best impression and the sample below on the right was what it looked like stamped. You can click on the photo to get a larger view of it.

To get the more even look of the left side impression, I cleaned the processing residue well off of my stamp and then inked the surface. I find that rolling over the stamp with an Inky Roller Brayer is a great way to even out and achieve a higher quality image. This beautiful stamp is the Vintage Chintz Backgrounder by Cornish Heritage Farms. On this card it is stamped in Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and Lettuce Adirondack Ink by Ranger.

The other part of this project I want to talk about is creating your own rub-on transfers. I love rub-ons as they have a unique look from stamping and you can use them across different paper elements without breaking up the image.

Using Grafix Rub Onz, you can print off your own rub-ons. Use a computer project to design your own if you wish. I've used some of the embellishments from the Scrap HD program and created a rub-on sheet of my own. All those fun designer images can be made into rub-ons and sized however I wish. I'm in love with the myriad of possibilities.

Here's a peek at some of the possibilities. I selected them and then...

...dragged them onto my digital work area. Aren't these cool? I have to admit though, when designing this sheet I forgot that the text must be in reverse as the transfer process fixes it that way. Oops! I'll remember next time.

 

After you print out your rub-ons, just follow the package directions. You'll apply the adhesive to the film and then press is down well. I find the Basic Grey Rub-on Roller works perfectly for this.

I think it's so cool that I made my own Jenni Bowlin image rub-ons. This sweet bird is applied over three different layers easily.

 

Backgrounders and Scrapblocks are great for backgrounds but if they have text on them, you can also use them for sentiments. This Life Scrapblock is one I designed with some of my favorite quotes and sayings on it. To stamp your sentiment, just ink up the one portion of it that you want to stamp with a Memento Marker. 

I used a few other products to create this design... Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, the Vintage Text Scrapblock by Cornish Heritage Farms, the Labels Four Nestability Die, a beautiful lace flower from the Madrigal Blossom White package by Prima, a Crystal Trinket Pin & Kraft Ticket by Maya Road and a Crystal Binding Ring Dangle by 7 Gypsies.

 

Here's a close-up of the final project.

Have fun exploring your creativity by creating your own design elements. Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and have a fabulous weekend!

Technique Tag Tuesday - Faux Hammered Silver Furniture Finish Printed Wood by Becky Olsen

I am really excited about today's technique tag!! There are a few things going on in this one that are easy, so fun to try and create really exciting textural finishes, and they are out of this world with how beautiful they are!

We will start by printing on a piece of "Real Wood,Thin Birch", for the tutorial on how to do that, refer to this post. Because I had run a really nice sized piece of wood through for my last project, I had plenty to use for this one.

For the tag base you will need a #8 Manila tag, "Silver" Adirondack Paint Dauber and the Heat It tool.

Start by painting around the edges of the tag.

  

If it looks thin give it another layer or two, nice coverage makes for a really exciting result.

   

Get out your Heat It and patiently heat each area until it gets a good bubbly texture going.

Here is a close-up of what it might look like when you are done.

 

Keep that Heat It out, we are going to be giving it a good work out today!

Trim a piece of the wood you printed on to 2 1/2" wide by 5 1/4" tall.

You will need a small piece of Cut N' Dry foam and "Tea Dye" Distress Ink, gently work a light layer of ink onto the surface of the wood. This is like a wood stain treatment that will bring variation and color in the grain and print on the surface of the wood.

Now here is where I am going to share one of my not so great learning experiences...

I applied my Distress Embossing Ink directly to the wood's surface, not the best idea. The ink from the laser printer rubbed off a little onto the surface of the ink pad from the direct contact. I strongly recommend that you use an Inky Roller brayer to apply the ink for this first layer. Not sure yet how the ink from the laser printer will affect the application of the Distress Ink on my future projects ;o)

When you have the entire surface covered with a nice layer of the embossing ink, sprinkle a layer of UTEE onto and then tap off the excess.

Then very patiently use the Heat It tool to melt it. It gets very hot and is difficult to handle so find a place to do this that won't be damaged. I always use my Non-Stick Craft Sheet for these projects because of its bullet proof surface. But make sure that whatever is underneath is also a pretty heat resistant surface.

The surface of the wood after this first layer of UTEE will be very uneven.

If you aren't familliar with UTEE, it is an acronym for Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel and is amazing stuff! Very versatile and comes in many colors! We will be playing with it again for sure!

Apply another layer of embossing ink, you can go direct from pad to surface from this point, but your brayer would already have the ink on it, so I would go ahead and use it to apply this layer. Hindsight is 20/20 ;o)

After you have a nice even application of the ink, sprinkle the UTEE on again and then gently tap off any excess.

Of course you will melt it with the Heat It again, you will need to be even more patient and careful. It is hot and you don't want to touch any part of it until it has cooled completely.

Of course when you are finished, you will see all of the incredible detail from the wood grain and the beautiful printing as well. It completely reminds me of a very fine furniture finish! Let me tell you, my mind is whirling with ideas on how to do this on a bigger scale...

Now that you have both techniques finished, it is time to start putting it all together. Adhere the wood to the tag using a heavy duty adhesive. I used my Scotch ATG 714 for this and was very generous in the application. The wood wanted to bend up a little and by applying a little extra adhesive it kept it in place really nicely.

Here is another view of how textured and beautiful this project is.

I gathered some pieces that would finish up the idea I had in mind, with black as a unifying color. The Maya Road Bird was painted with "Faded Jeans" and "Shabby Shutters" Distress Crackle Paint. There is a clock face and hands from Maya Road, a Glass Glintz in 8mm "Black" piece, and the "Jet" Double Flourish from Zva Creative.

Adhere the clock face with "Glossy Accents" and set aside to dry.

Adhere hands and Glass Glintz piece with the Glossy Accents as well and set aside to dry.

When that has set, place the flourish onto the clock face and over the top of the tag.

Adhere bird, and add a little black crystal for his eye. I just snipped the one off the bottom of the flourish, and put it in place.

and tie a piece of black lace through the top to finish it off with style!

I hope that you find some time to play with these techniques, they add amazing texture and are so versatile, you can them on so many different types of projects just by changing up colors, surfaces and images!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

B-

ScrapHD 7-Day Free Trial Club Membership and Jewelry Box How-To

I have received a number of emails from you wondering if I felt that ScrapHD is a product that makes sense to those who are not "scrappers". In a nutshell my answer is a resounding --- YES! One of the things I am so very passionate about is not wasting supplies. I am a paper addict and what this program has offered me is an ENORMOUS selection to pick from at a moments notice. I can print the "paper" on cardstock, lightweight paper for transfers, transparencies, sticky back canvas, and so much more. Will I ever give up my paper pads? No, but I most certainly will be using them in conjunction with the elements that I can download and use within a very short time. No more waiting for the package to arrive when I have a last minute project and can't find just the right option, and no more wondering what to do with the paper pads that I don't like a pattern in.

Today I am going to show you how it is that I combined "real" paper from Webster's Pages with a fabulous "printable" design from Jenni Bowlin. So head over to our In Touch blog to read more about the project shown below.

ScrapHD 7-DAY FREE TRIAL CLUB MEMBERSHIP

For those of you who do not subscribe to our newsletter I wanted to be certain to let you know that ScrapHD is currently offering a special promotion! If you have been on the fence about trying out this fantastic program then now is the time to join the Club and experience what the ScrapHD builder has to offer for a 7-day FREE trial. This will allow you to try any of the backgrounds, embellishments and templates AND use the "print from home" service!

To take advantage of this offer simply follow the link below (or the one in the sidebar of our blogs) to subscribe to ScrapHD.

Sign up as a Club Member providing all the information requested. If you are enjoying ScrapHD after your free trial, do nothing --- your credit card will be billed and your membership will automatically continue. If you decide that it is not what you were looking for then you can easily cancel anytime, online, 24 hours a day.

FREE WEBINARS (ONLINE CLASS)

ScrapHD is also offering a free Webinar program (online class). These Webinars last for about an hour and are geared towards the beginner. Ross or Katy (who have been very patient with me as I learned) will walk attendees through creating an account, explain the difference between the Free and Club membership levels, show you how to create a layout and save the project, and more. I would like to strongly encourage those of you who are afraid of trying something new to sign up for one of these classes.

For the month of April they will offer these free Webinars every Monday evening at 8:30pm CST, Thursday evening at 11:59 CST (Midnight Madness - for those of you who are night owls :D), and Saturday morning at 10:30am CST. You can register for all April time slots by going to the following link: FREE WEBINAR SIGNUPS

So head on over to In Touch for some Hybrid inspiration!

Happy Easter to you all!

Hybrid Mini Album by Julia Stainton

Hybrid crafting is a fun way of crafting, combining both the digital and paper crafting worlds. As there are great techniques to do in both creative mediums, hybrid is a great way to pick the best of both and expand your creativity.

For this hybrid mini album, I created six layouts leaving space for a few extra embellishments and then printed them out to create my album. The thing I love about digital is the items can be used over and over again and if you make a mistake, you can simply undo it. 

I created each layout at 8x8 as that was the smallest choice. You can add pages to your scrapbook and create them all in one file. After you have the layouts as you wish, click on the print from home button and your layouts will be sent to you in jpeg format. To print, open the files and then print at desired size. I used a photo editing program to size them to 4" square and then printed on heavy white cardstock.

 

After all the pages are printed out, crop them down to the 4x4 inch size. If you'd like a closer look at the details on this project, click on any photo for a larger view.

 

Next you'll want to cut three (for a six page album or more if necessary) 4x4" pieces of Craft-a-Board to give the project stability.

 

Adhere mini layouts on each side of Craft-a-Board pages to make your album.

 

I used the Zutter Bind it All to bind my little album. My album is the older blue model but Ellen's pink one works exactly the same. I love binding the 4x4 size as it is so easy to line up the bottom of the pages with the right side of the unit. Punch each page.

 

I used the 5/8" size wire for this project. There's room to add in another page or two still if you'd like to make your album larger.

 

This is the album bound and ready for embellishing.

 

On pages two and three you can see that I added some quick and easy embellishments. As I used mostly Jenni Bowlin digital files, these pretty extras are so easy to work into the design. On the left I added in and Embellished Butterfly, Black and on the right, another Jenni Bowlin item... a Rhinestone Button.

 

I could have added in journaling with text before I printed out my layouts but I've become a huge fan of handwritten journaling. I just wrote it in right on the printed pages using some of the ledger and journaling spaces I designed into the layouts. A Tim Holtz Fragment adhered with Glossy Accents over the writing. I love using a Copic Multiliner for my journaling as I know it writes well and won't smear or bleed.

Here's a peek at the back view. I didn't embellish it so that the album could lay flat for looking at.

 

And finally, the album front. Some handwriting, another Jenni Bowlin Butterfly and a Trinket Pin look pretty adhered over the digital printed page. I couldn't resist embellishing the Bind it All wires and tied on lots of beautiful silk ribbon.

What do you think of Hybrid? Fun huh?

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom!

Technique Tag Tuesday - Hybrid Printing on Tags by Becky Olsen

We are going to be looking at how to use digital images in our hands-on crafting. Hybrid might be an intimidating concept, but all we are doing is taking all of the beautiful images from inside of our computer and using our printer to get them out. There are so many types of products that you can run through your printer, but for this technique we are going to be using the #5 cloth tag, the #5 white tag and the #8 manila tag.

I started my project by opening a new 8" x 8" scrapbook page at Scrap HD. I put three Jenni Bowlin journaling houses on the page and clicked the "print from home" option that is available to the premium members.

When the file was sent to me I opened it up with Photoshop which is the image editor that I prefer. I could also have opened it in Word and achieved the same results.

I printed the image out onto 8.5" x 11" sheet of plain printer paper.

Then I got out the tags that I mentioned earlier and made sure that there was enough room for them on the paper. After I had that figured out, I used a re-positionable adhesive on the back side and placed them over the top of the houses.

I placed the #5 cloth over the aqua colored house, the #5 white over the red and the #8 manila over the brown, put the sheet of paper back into the feed tray and hit print again. This is where it gets fun to play! I didn't have the expected result and thought it would be good to show you that we have learning opportunities too! It is my belief that I learn more from my failures than from my successes. The first tag printed out perfectly, but the other two tags shifted.

So I got out my adhesive remover and cleaned the backsides of the tags. I then used the same re-positionable adhesive and adhered the clean side up and tried again.

This is the result that I got the with the second try. The #8 tag shifted again but the #5 stayed put. What I think is happening (or what I learned) is that the tags seem to be stiffer and not as good as bending to go through the printer on the side. When I was planning my page at Scrap HD, I was trying to squeeze more images onto the page to maximize my printing, so had rotated the images in the document there to be more efficient. What I would do next time is three different documents that had the image upright and unchanged. This would allow any size tag to be put through my printer with a higher likelihood of success (I think). So the #8 tag hit the round file and the other two were put to work! 

On the #5 white tag stitch some Prima "Regia" lace onto the bottom and then stamp "Black Soot" Distress ink with a sentiment from the Hero Arts "Mi Casa" set.

Tie some twine through a couple of Jenni Bowling "Reader" chipboard buttons.

And then adhere them to the tag.

This is what it looks like when it is finished, super easy and fun! I think this tag would be darling as the tag on a house warming gift or on a basket of goodies for a neighbor that might need a pick me up.

Next we are going to add some fun to the cloth tag. I stamped a sentiment and image from the "Sew Special" Rummage Bin set with "Coffee" Archival ink.

I then fussy cut out the cute vine and a few flowers from the Cosmo Cricket "Material Girl" paper and adhered it all using a Quickie Glue Pen.

The finishing touches are some "White Silk" ribbon and a darling little "Crystal" straight pink from Maya Road.

I love the depth and dimension that all of these layers provide, and it all started with running a few tags through my printer. Easy Peasy!

Now that you know a little more about hybrid, hopefully it isn't as intimidating. And think of all the fun things there are to run through your printer, with all of the amazing art that can be found through your computer, oh the possibilities are limitless!!

B-

7 Gypsies Hybrid Tag

Hybrid.  Digital.  Those words can strike fear into the heart of some stampy stampers.  But fear not my friends.  These words simply represent another tool in your paper crafting arsenal!

By now Ellen has given you her vision for the world of hybrid crafting and I want to kick things off with a simple, "get you started" kind of project.  Please read her Newsletter here and the FAQ section if you have not already.

I have had great admiration for 7 Gypsies product, but mostly from afar because most of my local scrapbook stores don't carry very much.  No longer a problem!  I now have access to a library of 7 Gypsies product AND am able to customize it to my liking and my project needs.

To gain access to the information I am sharing today simply click on this link or the preceding graphic and it will take you to the Ellen Hutson, LLC and ScrapHD builder.

 

These adorable tags are found in the Embellishment section of the program.  I created a blank 8x8 page and "dragged and dropped" the images onto the page.  Arrange them to get the most possible images on a single sheet and color print onto 8.5 x 11 Sticky Back Canvas.

Here are a few screen shots to walk you through how to navigate this process:

1.  Click on the Create a Scrapbook Button and Log In.

2.  Select "Start with a blank page"

 

3.  Click on 8x8 Scrapbook.

4.  Click on the tab with the yellow star, which is the embellishment menu.  Click on the green + button to see the selection of embellishments.

5.  Click on Manufacturer > 7 Gypsies > then search for tags.

6.  Choose the tags you want by clicking on them.  They will appear in the left column.  You can then drag them onto the 8x8 blank page.  Images can be resized by simply using your mouse to drag the corner.

 
  
7.  The final step is to choose the option to "Print From Home".  The high resolution file will be emailed to you.

Once again here are my printed tags and embellishments, all from 7 Gypsies.  I am not going to use all of these today, but didn't want to waste extra space on my page.

8.  Cut out the printed canvas tag and stamp the word "Art" from Wendy Vecchi's Just Word Art stamp set with Pitch Black Paint Dabber.

9. Embellish the flourishes on the tag with Clear Spica Glitter Pen.

10.  Apply a narrow layer of 1/8 inch double sided tape to the bottom of the tag and use it to secure the Cynthia Ribbon Lace.

11. Add the word "Expression" from the Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Black Stickers set.

12.  Punch the Glassene Butterflyfrom the houndstooth pattern in the Red/Black Line Extension Mini PapersPackage by Jenni Bowlin.

 

13.  Embellish the butterfly with pearls.

 

14. Embellish the ribbon lace with black pearls.

15.  I am always looking for new and interesting ways to incorporate pins and metal trinkets into my work.  Rather than tying the Cream Stick Pin by Jenni Bowlin to the Sprocket Gear, I used the brad to secure the pin to the piece.

 

 

16.  Finally, use the brad to hold the entire piece to the tag.

Thank you so much for joining us here on the CLASSroom today!

Cheers, Lisa